You believe you are taking all necessary precautions to safeguard your company from unforeseen events. Otherwise, how could you possibly sleep at night?
But have you given pollution insurance any thought?
Nearly every business interacts in some way with a pollutant, and the list of compounds that are designated pollutants is extensive. Pollution liability insurance shields firms from legal responsibility for harm or damage brought on by pollutants they use, create or increase.
What then qualifies as a pollutant? Many things are possible. Any products or chemicals that wind up wherever they weren’t meant to be used are considered pollutants. Even commonplace items like cheese, fruit juice, and freshwater have occasionally been seen as pollutants.
Standard pollution liability insurance policies often include coverage for claims involving personal injury, property damage, business disruption, crisis management, transportation liability, and expenditures related to toxic material clean-up.
This implies that the insurance policy would cover the damages, medical expenses, and related legal costs if any hazardous waste products you handle, store, or generate injured or damaged a third party (or land or wildlife). Oil, gas, asbestos, pesticides, PFAS chemicals, weed killers, ammonia, lead paint, sewage, mold, Legionella, petroleum, Category 3 water, radon, garden chemicals, cleaning chemicals, pool chemicals, and a long list of other pollutants are just a few of those that are addressed.
Handling pollution liability can even end up in lawsuits. There are other cases we hear in courts such as data privacy concerns, cyber security breaches, corporate investigations, contractual disputes, and even employment matters. Lawyers are also capable of handling pollution liability cases as the world gears toward more environmental awareness.
If you have pollution liability insurance and are facing difficulties with it, law firms and experts on pollution liability are the people to call. Arbitration and mediation should be handled by trained professionals, after all.
Environmental laws are also complex and understanding them can be a big feat. With the help of experts, a civil discourse may be made in order to reach a solution that benefits you. Looking for experienced mediators in this field is not easy, though.
Therefore, it is important to carefully consider who to hire to help you in cases of lawsuits or controversies concerning the environment or your property’s impact to the environment.